The world’s largest software company has been late to the party on a few things — the Internet being a classic example — but times and its corporate attitude have changed. Microsoft is moving ever deeper into the data center, exploring frontiers it hasn’t frequented in the past.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Only a year ago, the idea of Microsoft showing cloud computing services at an event like SaaSCon would not have computed one bit.

The world’s largest software company has been late to the party on a few things — the Internet being a classic example — but times and its corporate attitude have changed. They had to.

Microsoft, whose executives not long ago were often quoted as hating cloud computing because it cuts directly into their core business, already has swallowed its pride to embrace open source — well, to a certain extent. The company also is trying to move deeper into the data center, exploring frontiers it hasn’t frequented in the past.

Cloud computing services is one of those brave new worlds itÂ has been forced to explore. At SaasCon 2010 here at the Santa Clara Convention Center April 6 and 7, Microsoft had its first booth dedicated strictly to business cloud services.

Off the top, it is positioning Exchange Online (email), SharePoint Online …